$170,519,624 raised

Antifungals for Nic

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ M Mead

Nic Kempfert, a 26-year-old cancer survivor, our son, brother, partner, nephew, cousin and great friend, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Biochemistry in May 2009. 2 weeks after his graduation, he got sick and was admitted to the U of M medical center with Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia. He and his two siblings are all Type I diabetics, so we are no strangers to chronic illness, but this was cancer. He quickly got very sick because he was infected with fungal pneumonia, and over the next two months underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, had kidney failure, was put on a respirator, and was given a very slim chance of surviving. He had to have a lung removed due to the pneumonia, but in March of 2010 was well enough to receive a stem cell transplant from his older brother Mitch who was a perfect match! It is because of this procedure that Nic is alive today - he is truly a miracle boy.

He has now been cancer-free for over a year. We are so grateful. In January of this year, he was walking on a Minneapolis street and stepped on a patch of ice and flew up in the air, then crashed down and broke his upper femur in two places. He had to have immediate surgery to repair the hip and leg and spent the next 3 months in a wheelchair and using a walker.

He has many side effects from his treatments – including Graft v/s Host disease affecting his eyes and gastrointestinal system, neuropathy in his feet and legs, and muscle atrophy among other things. He still visits his clinic several times per week, and take many medications both orally and IV 4 times per day.

He is surviving, but we want to help him to thrive! He is living on a very small income and doesn’t have enough money to pay his bills and live independently. The money raised at his benefit was very appreciated but is now used up. He needs a minimum of $600/month to cover his expenses. Since he got sick before he was able to ever work a job in his field of expertise, he gets only a small amount of Social Security Disability and the county pays for about $70/month for food. He isn’t able to work yet at this time because his hip is still healing and the other side effects really limit him. He hopes to go back to school to get his Master’s degree but in the mean time needs money to live.

We set up this fundraising account to try to help him out. We set a goal that will allow him to cover his expenses (very minimally) for the next year or two. He pays for rent, food, utilities, telephone and internet, interest on his student loans, gas and parking, and a little clothing.

If everyone that knows Nic would simply pass this information on to everyone in their network, we can meet our goal. No skills or expertise needed – just share his need and ask everyone to “give forward”. Some groups are organizing candy sales, walks or runs, or other ways to raise funds, but a simple donation is the best gift.

We are just trying to help this one cancer survivor not just survive, but THRIVE! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for contributing to Nic’s account and for passing this along to others that are willing to help.

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